Baby Hood
by bpdguru
Summary: Of course Batman and the League had to be away on a mission in outer space when Tim comes barreling through the manor doors, wide spooked eyes settling on Dick and Damian. His two brothers stare at him, questions burning until they see the little bundle in his arms. "Drake, what the f-"
1. Chapter 1

"Of course it has to be Klarion!" Jason grunted through the comms, firing his gun towards the annoying demonic twerp a few yards away. "God, this is what Damian would be like if he ever got powers."

"Focus, Hood." Tim responded, throwing some shuriken at the chaos lord.

"But I mean imagine the torture! Waking up to see the brat sneering and then _nngh!"_ Jason went flying back as a bolt of magic struck him in the chest.

"Hood!" Tim yelled, unable to tend to his brother as he was cornered. He watched as Klarion floated over.

"I'll show you a brat!" He zapped Jason while muttering incantations, laughing at Jason's screams. Tim had to think fast, scanning the area. He saw Klarion's stupid familiar and snatched it, making the witch whirl around. "Unhand my cat!"

"Unhand Hood."

"Deal." The two boys traded their goods, but not before Klarion gave Jason a parting zap. "That should finish the spell." And with that Klarion was gone.

Tim rushed to Jason just in time to watch him convulse violently, Klarion's red magic glow all around him. "Jason? Jason!" Tim tried to reach out but was zapped a bit by the energy. He flew back and got tangled in his cape, taking a few moments to recover. And when he did he had to swallow a screech.

There, sitting where Jason was, was a boy about five years of age who looked a lot like Jason.

Tim shook his head. Rubbed his eyes. Blinked. The boy was still there. The boy was definitely Jason. And the boy was definitely crying.

"Jason? Hey, are you okay?"

"W-who are you?" Jason curled up in the pile of much to big clothes, shrinking away from the older boy dressed in the colorful costume.

Tim winced. Of course he doesn't know me. We won't meet for over a decade. "I'm Tim, I'm your brother. were out playing superhero and you fell and bumped your head." Tim hoped he bought it.

"Oh!" Jason squished his tongue out between his lips. "I guess I lost."

"Nah, but let's get home. It's pretty late." Tim picked up tiny Jay, nuzzling him into his chest before breaking out into a sprint. Luckily they weren't too far from the manor.

Of course Batman and the League had to be away on a mission in outer space when Tim comes barreling through the manor doors, wide spooked eyes settling on Dick and Damian. His two brothers stare at him, questions burning until they see the little bundle in his arms. "Drake, what the f-"

"Shh! I finally got him to sleep on the way back." Tim whisper hissed.

"And who is he?" Dick asked, trying to get a look at the little guy's face as he was tightly bundled in Red Robin's cloak. Tim ignored him, walking upstairs with his brother's in tow as he entered Jason's room. Damian and Dick exchanged a glance. Tim was still blocking their view of the boy as he tucked him into bed. It wasn't until Tim moved away that they saw the unmistakable shock of white in dark black hair resting on a peaceful face.

Dick felt his mouth drop as he looked on at a five year old Jason Todd, sleeping with his thumb in his mouth and his arm around a pillow.

Damian just coolly snapped a picture, shrugging when Dick shot him a look. "Blackmail purposes."

"Tim, what happened?" Dick dragged his nonsleeping brothers out of the room gently closing the door.

"Klarion managed to hit him with some magic and cast a spell on him." Time shrugged, rubbing his hands through his hair.

"Is it reversible? Is it permenant?"

"I don't know! He didn't recognize me at first, so my first priority was getting him back to the mansion and then we can figure that stuff out okay?" Tim unintentionally snapped, exhaustion from carrying a five year old across the city and fighting a witch boy finally taking its toll.

"Tim?" All three boys snapped their attention to the little voice coming from the doorway. Jason was rubbing his tiny fists over his eyes adjusting to the bright lights. "Tim, who are these two? Where are we?"

Tim crouched down next to Jason, ruffling his hair. "Hey, Jay. Have a good nap?" Jason nodded, climbing into Tim's arms and resting his head on his shoulder. "Jason, this is Dick and Damian, they are our brothers. And we are at home."

Jason squinted, looking around the manor from where he was perched. "We must be bazillionaires! Do we have a pool? An arcade? A bounce house? A movie theatre?" Jason squealed. " _Do we have a library?"_

Dick chuckled softly, his heart aching. This Jason is only a few years younger than when they first met but still so excitable and full of energy. He misses him so much.

"Yes Jay, we have all of those and more." Dick smiled.

"I wanna seeeeeee!" Jason squirmed excitedly in Tim's arms, itching to get his hands on some books.

"Tommorow Jay, it is pretty late."

"But-"Jason went to argue, then seemed to think better of it. "Okay. Goodnight." He shimmied out of Tim's arms and shuffled back to his room, keeping the door open a crack.

"He is the complete oppossite of his adult self."Damian finally spoke up, watching the cracked door like a hawk.

"That is what a lifetime of trauma will do to you."Dick mummured before heading off to his room, his younger brothers following suit.

A scream tore through the peaceful sleep of the proper age boys, all of them darting towards the source. Dick got to the room first, throwing the door open to find Jason thrashing about on the bed, screaming at the top of his lungs.

Dick moved to wake him but felt a hand on his shoulder. "No, never wake someone while they are having a nightmare like this. It will only move over to reality." Damian spoke from experience, a silent shudder going up his spine.

Tim couldn't watch, turning his back to his screeching brother.

"No! No! Daddy please! No!"

Tim screwed his eyes shut.

"I promise I will be good! Don't make me see him!"

Damian dug his fingernails into his palms.

"Mommy! Help! It hurts mommy, Please."

Dick had tears strolling down his face as he watched Jason kick and claw and punch at the air. Suddenly, he sat up with a gasp. Tim turned around to see Jason pale as a sheet and drenched in sweat.

"Hey Jay, are you okay?" Tim asked as gently as he could.

Jason didn't answer, he just flung himself into Tim's arms sobbing. Tim held onto Jason tightly, smoothing down the boy's hair as he gently rocked him.

"It hurt. Tim, it hurt so much." Jason choked out into Tim's neck, barely audible to Dick and Damian who had moved to sit on the bed. "Daddy said it wouldn't hurt so much after the first few times, but he lied. It hurt the same. And if I cried or screamed I got hit. Sometimes he would bring a friend. That hurt more."

The bat brothers were shaking with rage, even Damian. They knew Jason had a rough childhood, growing up on the streets and all. But for this to happen, and at such a young age repeatedly? Even Batman would become Red Hood.

When Jason had cleaned out his tear ducts, he untangled himself from Tim and hopped off the bed. Turning to face his brothers, plastered on his best smile. "Can we get some food, I am hungry please?"

"Jason, it is...five in the morning I guess we can do breakfast." Dick sighed as Jason fist pumped the air, dashing out the door. Turning to face his remaining brothers. "No matter what, we will protect Jason. Little Jason, big Jason, whatever. He has had it rough enough and needs love. Only excuse not to is if he is currently trying to kill you. Do I make myself clear?"

Tim and Damian nodded, already thinking the same thing.

"Good, now let's go get some breakfast for our brother.


	2. Chapter 2

The Bat boys were sitting down at the kitchen island, eating the pancakes that Dick had whipped up a few minutes before hand. The three proper age boys watched in amazement as Jason ate pancake after pancake, syrup dripping down his chin. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, looking up at his siblings with a smile. "May I have some water, please?"

"Of course." Tim came back with a glass a moment later, settling back in across from the tiny child.

"Thank you." After Jason had chugged about half the ice water, he leaned back in the stool and swung his feet. "Can we see the library today? I wanna see if it is as cool as the city library, but seeing the house I think it is. Ooh, will I get to read any of the books? Please?"

Damian smirked, collecting the dirty plates and putting them in the sink next to the pans. "We can head to the library now, if you would like Jason." The five year old squealed and jumped on Damian's back, not noticing the way he slightly tensed.

"On we go, Dami!" The two current youngest boys trotted off towards the library, leaving Dick and Tim to trail behind.

"While we are up here, maybe we can search for more information on Klarion's spells and magic. There is bound to be some information." Tim whispered to Dick, "I really don't want to call Bruce about this. Or worse, summon the witch himself."

Dick gulped, shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts. He reassured Tim it wouldn't come to that before they opened the doors the Wayne Manor library and all its vast glory, smiling at little Jason's look of awe. Dick went to towards the section of old case files and information on villians, while Tim went to the section that contained everything to do with magic, spells, and interdimensional beings.

Meanwhile, Damian had his hands full with Jason, who was bouncing around from section to section, grabbing books off the shelf at a whim. Damian wondered if he would even be able to read most of the books, but still followed behind with a soft smile. They settled down on a couch by the fire place, Damian lighting a fire while Jason started a book from his stack.

Damian was very good at ready body language and movements, so he was a little shocked to see Jason was reading a fourth grade level book at the age of five. He did pause a few times and ask his older brother what one of the words meant, but those pauses were far and few between.

However, Damian did end up reading a book of fairytales to Jason and before he knew it, the little tyke was curled up to his side with his head on Damian's chest fast asleep.

 _Well, it was only six am._ Damian thought, leaning his head back to rest his eyes.

And that is how Tim and Dick found their little brothers half an hour later, Jason curled up to Damian thumb in mouth snoring softly with Damian's arms around him and the rest of his body curled protectively around his brother.

Tim cooed before snapping a photo, shrugging when Dick shot him a look. "Blackmail purposes." Dick rolled his eyes and gestured for Tim to follow him to the couch across, sitting down and opening up the only two useful things he had found. Tim sank into the cushion next to him, placing a single book with a bookmarked page down. "Any luck?"

"Eh, sort of. What I found was only slightly relevant." Dick pointed to the file on the table. "Klarion has done this before and the good news is it was not permanent. Bad news, it took combined efforts of both Klarion and Doctor Fate to reverse the chaos magic."

"How are we going to get both of them in the same room?" Tim groaned.

"Summon Klarion and have Batman call Fate. Speaking of, his file." Dick slid it over and let Tim take a few minutes to go through it. When Tim nodded to sign he was done. "What did you find?"

"The spell Klarion used, I remembered some of the words he used." Tim did the same for Dick, letting him read it over. "If we can't manage to get Fate and Klarion, it says it will last six months to a year."

"Too long. How do we fix this like, today, with out letting Bruce or Alfred know?" Dick mumbled.

His brother's eyes lit up with an idea. "Superman!"

"Superman? He is with Batman and the League off world, remember?"

"No, he stayed back so Earth would have a defender. Plus, he can bring us Fate and Klarion!" Tim smiled brightly, excited for the thought of Bruce _not_ killing him for letting Jason be turned into a five year old.

"You wanna yell or should I?" Dick cupped his hands at the same time as Tim, both turning to the window.

 _"Superman!"_

A few moments later, the caped Kryptonian flew through the open window they had left for him, strolling up to the older two Bat boys. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

"We need your help with-" Tim got cut off by a little squeal.

"Is that Superman?" The three turned to see a sleepy looking Jason buzzing with excitement. He ran over over and scaled Dick's body, sitting on his shoulders. "You guys didn't tell me you knew _Superman_ , oh my gosh this is so cool! Does Damian know? I should wake him up so he doesn't miss this!"

The little ball of five year old energy shot off Dick's shoulders and ran back to Damian, squealing the whole way. Superman stood there stunned, turning back to Tim and Dick. "Was that who I think it was?"

"If you think it was Jason then yes." Tim launched into the story of how they got here, wrapping up just as Jason came running back with Damian.

"See! I told you Superman is here!" Jason beamed up at Damian, bouncing on his toes. "Isn't that awesome, Dami?"

"It sure is, Jay." Damian laughed, swinging him up onto his back and causing an explosion of giggles. Superman raised an eyebrow, Damian just glared in return. "Hey, Jay? Why don't we go bring those books to your room?"

"But I want to hang out with Superman!"

"We will but we always have to clean up first." Damian ruffled his hair, leading him back to the pile of books.

"He sure brings out a different side of Damian like this." Superman chuckled. "What do you need my help with?"

"Getting him back to his right age." Dick handed him their research. "We thought maybe you could bring Klarion and Doctor Fate here to fix him before Bruce got back and no one would be any wiser?"

"Doctor Fate is off world with the rest of the League and without him I have no way of contacting Klarion." Superman apologized, handing the books back. "Bruce will find out eventually, anyways. He always does."

"I was afraid you were going to say that." Dick sighed, feeling his phone vibrate. He looked down and swore.

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot I had invited the team offer for drinks tonight." He groaned. "What do I do? I can't cancel, they will just show up anyways."

"Damian and I will take Jason out for a bit, no biggie." Tim shrugged, turning to Superman. "Please don't say a word to Bruce."

"Scouts honor." He chuckled.

"Tim isn't joining us tonight?" Wally asked, crashing on a couch next to Artemis.

"I sent him and Damian on a brotherly bonding trip." Dick told a partial truth, shrugging with ease. "They gotta accept it some day."

The team chuckled, raising glasses to that sentiment.

"So, Kaldur, how has Roy been treating you?" Conner asked, propping his feet on Dick's lap and putting his head on M'gann's shoulder.

"Wonderfully, thank you." Alfred walked in, holding the phone.

"Master Dick, its Damian."

"One night, come on guys." He muttered as he answered the phone. "What happened Damian?"

 _"It's Jason. We went to the pier and he started to freak out, saying he wanted to go home. He was having a total melt down. I think it was a flash back or something but we didn't know what to do so we are on our way back."_

"What? Is he okay?" Dick gasped, forgetting his team was there.

 _"Shaken up, but okay. He is currently playing eye spy with Tim. We will be backback in one minute."_

Dick hung up the phone and groaned. "One job, one _fucking_ job."

"Is everything alright, Dick?" M'gann asked cautiously, feeling the anxiety coming off of her friend.

"Yeah, Tim and Dami are almost home. Night didn't go as planned." He sighed, rubbing his temples. His eyes bulged when he remembered the third person just as the front door of the Manor opened.

"We're back!" Tim yelled, strolling into the lounge area.

"Where's Damian?" Wally asked, looking for the third Bat Bro.

"He, uh, is freshening up." Tim shrugged, catching Dick's worried glance. "Don't worry, he's okay. I gave him aa hug and he was eager to come home."

"You hugged Damian?" Artemis snorted. "I'd love to see that."

Before anyone could say anything else a high pitched giggle erupted, as did the pitter patter of little feet. A squeal soon followed.

"You can't get me, nanana poopoo!" A small voice teased, a shrill of laughter as the door burst open and in flew five year old Jason with Damian hot on his heels. He easily scooped up his little brother, tickling him and ignoring the stares. "N-no f-air! You're taller so you're faster!"

"Well grow taller, short stack." Damian grinned, sticking his tongue out.

"Dick, who is that?" Conner whispered.

Jason finally noticed the others in the room and squealed, scrambling for the tallest of his brothers. He leapt onto Dick's shoulders, clawing at his hair. "Dickie, who are these people? Why is she green? Why does he look like Superman? Is Superman going to come play hide and seek again?" He peeked around the side of his brother's head, poking his cheek.

"These are my friends, Jay. They came over to hang out. They are safe and very nice. Do you want to say hi?" Dick asked, switching Jason to put hin on his hip. Jason nuzzled his head on his chest, looking over the team.

"Hi! I'm Jason! I like to read and color but I'm not as good as Damian. Tim says it is cuz I'm still little but oh well. Oh! Tim is good at eye spy but not as good at bed stories as Dickie!" Jason blurted in one breath.

"Jason? As in-" Tim cut Kaldur off.

"Mind link, please."

 _Mind link established. What is happening?_

 _So, I was fighting Klarion the other day with Jason and he got hit by a magic blast. It de aged him and now here he is. We are working on a cure but it involves Doctor Fate and Klarion, not options at the moment._

Everyone turned back to Jason who had his tongue squished between his teeth as he wiggled out of Dick's grip. "Dami?"

"Yeah Jay?"

"You are a slow poke!" He squealed backing towards the door. Damian narrowed his eyes playfully.

"Oh, I'm going to get you."

"Gotta catch me first, slow poke!" Giggles erupted as he dashed out the door, Damian waiting a beat before giving chase.

"Those two seem close." M'gann cooed. Tim smirked and Dick shook his head at him but it was too late, he pulled out his phone with the picture of them cuddling asleep in the library. "Oh my goodness, so pure."

"I want to see!" The team crowded and melted at the picture, drinks forgotten.

"Does he know about...?" Kaldur gestured at the team pointedly.

"No, when he de aged he didn't even know who I was." Tim sighed, stretching across Artemis and Wally. "One step at a time."

"Dickie! Save me!" Jason screeched, bursting back in and diving into his lap, burying his head in his chest. Damian followed suit, walking towards him. "Nuh-uh! Dickie is home base, can't get me while I'm here, you nincompoop!"

"Takes one to know one!" Damian shot back teasingly, sticking his tongue out.

"Take that back." Jason giggled, getting comfortable in his brothers lap.

"Fine, you aren't a nincompoop. You are a slow poke."

"Says the one who didn't catch me." Jason grinned, squealing whenwhen Damian yanked him Dick and tickled him mercilessly. They fell on the floor, Jason cuddling into Damian with a happy sleepy face.

"Jay, are you tired?" Tim grinned fondly.

"No! I don't get tired." He mumbled, clinging to Damian as he yawned. "I wanna be with you guys and your friends."

"Okay Jay, but bed time is soon." Tim reminded him, patting his head.

"Mmm." He was struggling to keep his eyes open. "Okay Timmy, okay."

The team watched as he drifted into sleep, his thumb going into his mouth as he snuggled closer to Damian. He mumbled before fully going to sleep. "Best...brothers...ever..."

The three shared looks and smiles, staring at their youngest.

"He is nothing like his grown up self." Conner murmured. "What happened between this and then?"

"Too much." The Bat boys replied with such fierceness the team actually flinched.

"Dami, why don't you take him to his room?" Damian gave Dick a pointed look, the two having a silent conversation. "Those don't happen til closer to four in the morning. He will be okay Damian."

He glared, standing with the little Jay and stalked out. Tim looked uneasy, looking at Dick. "After what happened at the pier, what if he is more vulnerable?"

"All we can do is be there for him."

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Nightmares." They growled in unison.

"At this age? What could possibly have ha-"

"Too much, Artemis, too much." The team had never seen Dick Grayson's eyes get that dark before.

And they hoped they never did again.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a peaceful morning at the manor and Tim was enjoying his second cup of coffee when he heard the little pitter patter of Jason's feet on the hard wood floor. He looked up from the tablet in time to see his little brother walk into the family room, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Good morning sleepy head." Tim chuckled, helping Jason onto the couch next to him. "How did you sleep?"

"I slept okay." Jason yawned, resting his head as he leaned against Tim. "Did you sleep okay, Timmy?"

"Why, yes I did, thank you for asking Jay." He smiled, ruffling the boys hair. "Do you want some breakfast?"

Jason shook his head, mumbling something about waiting for double D before snuggling closer to Tim. He was trying to read what was on the tablet. "Can we watch some TV?"

Tim flipped onto the TV app, scrolling til he found some cartoons for Jason. The two brothers sat cuddled on the couch for another two hours, not noticing as Dick and Damian came down stairs and helped Alfred make breakfast.

Jason's eyes widened as he watched the colorful superhero on screen, giggling as he thought of something. "Timmy, the one in red is like you."

"Oh?" Tim looked at Jay with a smile, prompting more information.

"Mmm, he is kind and smart. The one in blue is like Dickie because he worries a lot and takes charge." Tim snorted. "The green one is Dami because he laughs and plays and is fast."

Tim pointed at the screen. "Which one are you, Jay?"

"I'm the black one because I am the baby but also a cool ninja!" Tim chuckled, kissing his hair. "Don't laugh at the ninja!"

"I wouldn't dream of it." Tim laughed, looking up when their brothers walked in. "Look who decided to roll out of bed."

"Dude, we have been up for awhile helping Alfred with breakfast. Come on, its ready." Dick waved them to the dining room, the brothers following along and taking their seats. "Jay, what do you want to eat?"

"Waffles and eggs please?" Jason's mouth watered at the display on the table. "Orange juice! Yay!"

They ate in a comfortable silence, only asking for more food or drink. Once breakfast was over, Dick turned to his siblings. "My shift today ends at three so I'll be home by four, depending on traffic."

"Where do you work?" Jason scrunched up his face.

"I'm a cop, little man." Dick smiled, turning to the other two. "Keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't get hurt."

"Dick, I have school. Monday, remember?" Damian pointed at the calendar. "And Tim has to be in the office since father is...on a trip?"

Dick cursed under his breath. "Tim can you bring him to the office?"

"That would raise so many questions plus the press. And I have meetings all day." Tim groaned in frustration. "I hate my job."

"Can Superman babysit me?" Jason piped up, a hopeful look on his adorable little face.

"He is very busy today, little man." Dick frowned, scooping Jason up in his arms. "Although, maybe the team wouldn't mind? Just until we got home?"

Damian narrowed his eyes. "If anything happens to him..."

"Relax, he will be okay." Dick pulled out his phone, dialing Kaldur.

 _"Hello Dick, what's up?"_

"I need a favor from you guys..."

Once the brothers had finished explaining everything they needed to know, Damian threatened their lives sufficiently, and they said good bye to their youngest, it was just the team staring at the five year old Jason.

"Hi Jason, I'm Wally. I'm good friends with your brother Dick." Wally crouched to Jason's level and he cocked his head, looking over the miniature version of their once teammate.

"My name is Kaldur. This is Artemis, Conner, and Megan." They all waved, M'gann in her human disguise so she wouldn't freak out Jason.

Jason grinned up at them and began bouncing on his toes. "Did you know my house has its own swimming pool? And movie theatre? But coolest of all it has a library that is much better than the city library! Come on, I'll show you!" He darted off, grabbing Wally's hand in the process.

The team exchanged glances as they hurried to catch up, saying hi to Alfred when they passed him. They entered the library to see Jason starting a stack of books near the fire place.

"Dickie said I couldn't play hide and seek or tag with out one of my brothers here. And Timmy made me promise to be good and not cause you guys trouble." Jason looked up from the pile of books with a grin. "Dami likes it when I read, it gives him a break from always losing. Do you want to read with me?"

Conner sat next to Jason and looked over the stack of books, all seeming way too old for a five year old. "Do you want one of us to read these to you?"

"No thank you, I got it. Damian says it is im..impr..impressive! That I can read some of them for my age. I lived at the library until dad took me in, reading came easy." Jason squished his tongue with his teeth and grabbed a bookmarked book, looking up at the young adults. "You guys can read too!"

They smiled and each grabbed a book, pretending to read as they chatted through the mind link.

 _Holy crap, what is with this kid?_

 _He is rather impressive, I must say._

 _He has so much energy I bet Wally is jealous._

 _I kind of am to be honest. But look how adorable he is with his little tongue poking out._

They looked over at Jason, he was reading a rather thick book with a look of concentration. His eyes widened and he slammed the book shut looking at the team in shock.

"I need to use the potty." He stood up and started bouncing. "Timmy says I can't be alone because I am 'a walking disaster magnet'. Please, its an emergency."

Kaldur sighed, standing up. "Lead the way." Jason bolted out of the room, Kaldur barely catching up as the door to the bathroom slammed shut.

A moment later they returned to the group and Jason jumped back on the couch, much more relaxed. "Thank you, Kaldur. Dickie doesn't like when I don't tell him when I need to potty."

They frowned, exchanging glances. "Why wouldn't you tell him?"

Jason shrugged, chewing his lip. "My old daddy and mommy didn't want to see or hear me at all, even if I needed to go potty real bad. If I had an accident, they would make me clean it up and-" His breathe hitched eyes going wide and distant.

"Jason? Are you okay?" Artemis approached slowly, not wanting to scare the boy. That failed when she placed her hand on his knee.

He flinched back violently, screwing his eyes shut. " _I'm sorry, daddy._ It won't happen again." He whimpered, curling into a tight ball.

"Jason, hey, its okay. You're safe and-" Wally was cut off by the little boys screaming.

" _Please!_ Mommy, help me! Don't let him take me there again, please mommy." Jason croaked, grabbing his hair. "I'll be good. _Not him, not him. Please."_

"Megan, call Dick. Conner, call Tim. I will call Damian's school. Wally and Artemis, do not leave his side." Everyone nodded, taking to their assignments.

Fifteen torturous minutes later and the brothers raced in, seeing Jason's state. Damian demanded an explanation while Tim went to get ice.

Dick walked up to Jason, moving his friends who stared helplessly. He took Jason in his arms and began to hum, waiting for Tim to come back.

Once Tim walked in with a bowl of ice and a cup of water, they got to work.

"Jay, baby boy, its us. You are safe and at home with family and friends." Tim placed an ice cube on his wrist. "Focus on the cold and come back to us. It is me, Timmy. Remember, you are safe here. You are loved. You never have to see that man again. Just focus on the ice."

Dick picked up an ice cube and placed it on his pulse point on his neck. "Jason, its Dickie. You are at home. You are with your brothers. My friends are here too. Just breath."

Damian took a cube and held it to his other wrist. "Hey, short stack. Damian here. Come back to us so I can show you who the real slow poke is." Dick shot him a look.

Jason blinked his eyes open looking around the room. "W-what happened? Why am I cold?"

Damian took Jason into his arms and gave him a giant squeeze. "We gave you an ice bath, no biggie. Have some water, Jay."

Jason gulped down the water, turning to face the group as he got comfortable on Damian. "You smell like cheap tater tots."

"Takes one to know one."

"Meanie." Jason yawned, settling into Damian for a nap. "You know, in a past life you were a bed."

The room broke down laughing as Damian glared, playing with Jason's hair until he fell asleep.

"You are all lucky Jason is in the room." He hissed.

"Dick, what was that all about?" Conner asked, looking at Jason's sleeping form.

"Flashback, happens." Damian bit back, not wanting to share anything.

"Damian, if they are going to babysit in the future they need to know." Tim sighed, looking at his friends. "His parents were very abusive and any time he did something 'wrong' or 'bad' they brought him to a man who-"

"Assaulted him, sometimes bringing friends." Dick finished, murder in his eyes. "If I find out who that is or where is biological father is so help me-"

"Dick-"

" _No,_ Tim, I don't care. He is a child for godsake and he is already this traumatized? Years before meeting Batman? No, I don't care about those rules. I will go full on Red Hood if I have to." He snarled, shocking his teammates.

"I'm with Dick on this one." Damian piped on. "Not because murder." He looked down at his little brother, brushing away some fringe. "Because anyone who hurts a child is an enemy of mine. Especially if that child is my brother."

Jason snuggled closer to Damian, unaware of anything happening in the room.

The team shifted nervously. "We should probably get going." Conner pointed at the door.

"Nonsense, stay for dinner. Jason naps usually for an hour, Damian might pass out with him." Tim snickered, dodging the pillow thrown at him. "Let's go watch a movie."

As the movie was wrapping up, Jason walked into the room with a dishelved Damian.

"Hello sleeping beauties."

"Shut up Wally." Damian grunted.

"Its not my fault I am so snuggly and warm I put everyone to sleep." Jason giggled, climbing up next to Tim and Dick. "What're you watching?"

"Well, it just ended but it was The Hunger Games." Artemis offered up.

"Books are better, the last one was boring." Jason sighed, ignoring their looks.

Before they could ask, Alfred fetched them for dinner. They all sat down, Dick helping to serve Jason before himself.

A lively discussion about this that and everything got well underway before Dick's phone rang. He excused himself and left the room for a few minutes, looking visibly distraught.

"Dickie, what's wrong?" Jason asked, sipping his water.

"The League is on their way back to Earth. They will be home within the week." Dick groaned sitting back in his chair with his head in his hands. "What do we do?"

"We can keep the League distracted while you three figure things out here?" Wally suggested, shoving some potatoes in his mouth.

"That would be nice, Wally." Tim sighed, looking at Jason who was blissfully unaware of the conversation. He sat there playing with his food, giggling uncontrollably when a bean splatted against Conner's forehead.

"Oops! My bad." He squealed, jumping out of his chair and bolting out of the room as Conner chased him playfully. "I bet you are slower poke than Dami!"

"Oh it is on!" His brother leaped into action, making Alfred sigh. He missed the sound of happiness in the manor.

"Conner! Don't break my brothers!" Tim yelped, hearing a crash. M'gann rolled her eyes, smiling as they all joined in the chase around the manor.

"Dickie, save me!" Jason tackled the oldest Wayne, causing them to roll down one of the sprawling hills in the yard. The team watched as tears of joy streamed out of their eyes.

"Join them, peasent." Tim shoved Conner, who took M'gann and Wally with him. "Ha! A Three for one deal!"

Damian smirked, pushing Artemis and Tim, who yanked him down too. "Curse you, Drake!"

They all ended up in a pile at the bottom, laughing hysterically for the first time in ages. Once they mostly caught their breath, they noticed the pair of red boots standing not too far away.

"Superman!" Jason untangled himself, bolting towards the Kryptonian and easily scaling him to rest on his shoulders, his favorite perch. Jason pulled Superman's head back, looking into his eyes. "Do you want to play hide and seek?"

He smiled at the hyper active child, patting his head. "Later, Jay, okay? I have to talk to your brothers right now."

Jason crossed his arms and pouted. "Okay, but I am staying right here." Superman nodded, turning to look at the gathering of teens and young adults.

"So, I have...news." He winced, not because of Jason playing hairstylist with his perfectly manicured hair but because of the reactions he was going to get.

"Is it the League?" Tim tried to keep a straight face as Jason worked The Man Of Steel's hair into a mohawk before ruffling it into morning after hair. He glanced over at his friends faces and saw the same bewildered looks.

"Yes, they miscalculated their flight and will be here by tomorrow night." Superman flinched when Jason yanked his hair so he could swing sideways and stare at his face.

"Are you talking about the Justice League? Wait, you have to be don't answer that." He jumped off his shoulders, leaving Supes hair a mess. "Why would they need to know though? Wait, I don't care, can I meet _Wonder Woman?_ She is so beautiful and I bet she knows lots of stories!" He whirled to look at his family. "Does this mean Dad knows them too? Aw, if he doesn't he is going to miss meeting them, his trip doesn't get back for another week."

Everyone exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. They thought they had a week to prepare and that Jason was too preoccupied playing with Superman's hair to listen.

"I'll call dad and see if he can make it home early to meet the League, how does that sound Jay?" Tim's quick thinking saved them from disaster as Jason's tears retreated.

Now, they had to worry about a different Wayne.


	4. Chapter 4

The next night came much quicker than they wanted, anxiety eating at the older three Waynes. They reluctantly got dressed into their alter egos, putting Jason in a red hoodie before setting off into the night. They had been given instructions to meet the team and League at the Watch Tower, which was sure to go over well with Jason.

"Why are you dressed like that? Where is my costume? Where are we going? Why are we in this dark alley?" Jason clung to Dick's back the whole time, watching in amazement as the zeta tubes opened up and swallowed two of his brothers. "Wow, Dickie, where did they go? Can we try it?"

"Of course little man." Dick smiled, walking in with Jason and closing his eyes, trying to steady his beating heart.

 _Recognize Nightwing_

 _Recognize Red Hood_

"Wow, why did the computer call you Nightwing? And who is Red Hood? Is it me because of my outfit?" Jason gasped, looking up from his brother's shoulders too see the gathering of superheroes, all staring at him. "Dickie, _are we in space?_ This is so wicked! Alfred would love this." Before Dick could stop him, he wiggled off his back and ran right past the League, plastering himself to the window. "Dami, do you see this? Can you draw this for me when we get home? Please, I won't call you a slow poke anymore."

Damian walked over and picked him up, ignoring the stares of the older heros. "Of course I will, but only if you promise to clean up the mess you and Conner made last night."

"That was you and you know it, tater tot!" Jason stuck his tongue out, yelping when Damian pinched it. "Gif i ba!"

"Nope, mine now." Damian laughed warmly, the League shivering a bit. "Now come on, there is a lot to talk about."

"Meanie." Jason grumbled, nestling into Damian's chest with a pout. They stood next to their brothers, Jason playing with Damian's mask until he took it off and gave it to him, ruffling his hair.

"Does _anyone_ want to explain what is going on?" Diana asked, gesturing to the small child trying to wear Robin's mask. When he saw what color it was, he gasped, jumping out of his arms and running to Tim, paying the adults no mind.

"Timmy, Timmy! It is like the TV show. See?" He held up the green mask and gestured to Damian. "Green for Dami, red for you, blue for Dickie, and," He unzipped his hoodie, revealing a black t-shirt. "Black for me!"

Tim bent down and lifted Jason up, kissing his temple. "You're right, Jay."

"How did he know our colors?"

"He didn't, we were watching a cartoon about superheroes and he pointed out between the characters and us that-"

"Blue for Dickie because he worries and takes charge, red for Timmy 'cause he is kind and smart, green for slow poke 'cause he is fun, fast, and plays. I am the black one because I am the baby but also a ninja!" Jason grinned toothily, forgetting where he was. "Why do you think I win hide and seek with Superman? No one finds a ninja!"

"Superman, since they are in their own world, care to explain?" Batman turned his glare on the boy scout.

"My fault Batman." Tim spoke up, passing his brother to Dick. He stepped forward. "I was on a mission with Red Hood to take down Klarion, he got blasted with magic, and well..." He gestured behind him to the five year old that was now styling Dick's hair with the help of Damian. "Don't worry! Dick and I found a way to reverse it, we had to wait for Doctor Fate to return. It involves Doctor Fate and Klarion working together to reverse it." Everyone just gaped between the five year old in front of them, trying to reconcile him and the Jason they knew.

"How long has he been like this?" Flash asked, holding his hand to hip height.

"Week and a half?" Tim winced at the flash of anger on Batman's face. "We didn't want to pull you away from your mission! Besides, we were handling it."

"Dickie, I gotta go potty." Jason whimpered, tugging on his brother's sleeve. Dick nodded, turning to Tim.

"Tim, we'll be right back." He picked Jason up and darted down the hallway.

"Where is he taking Jason?" Green Lantern hissed. "He isn't authorized to go there."

"He is five years old and has no memory past waking up on a roof top with Tim." Damian snapped, glaring at the League. "He is not a criminal, not at this point. If any of you treat him as such you will answer to me. That boy is my brother and has been through more hell in his short five years than you can imagine. I am not afraid to take any of you down, need I remind you of my heritage?" He growled, whirling around when he heard the familiar sound of an approaching Jason. He scooped him up in his arms. "Come on Jay, let's go color."

"Really? Do they have different colors in space?" Jason giggled, resting his chin on his brothers shoulder. "Do you think dad would want a welcome home picture when he gets back? Its too bad he couldn't meet the League. That would've been cool."

Damian shot them a glare. "Yeah, it is too bad." He exited the room with his brother, leaving a tense silence.

"What did I miss?" Dick surveyed the room, standing with Tim and the rest of Young Justice.

"Damian laid into them for assuming Jason was a five year old criminal." Conner spat. "I feel the need to use some crayons, what about you guys?"

The younger team nodded, shooting their mentors disgusted looks. Superman floated after them, shaking his head. "He's _five._ They called me the next day and I kept an eye on him." He tossed a disk on the table. "I knew you would have to be sure, Bruce. There is your evidence. Not that you should need any." With that he flew out, leaving an ashamed team behind.

Flash picked up the disk. "Do..do we watch it?" The League nodded reluctantly, putting it in the computer.

They watched as Jason ran giggling from room to room, playing tag with Damian. How they napped on the couches in the living rooms, lounges, library, sometimes even on the floor, anywhere Jason passed out in Damian's arms. They watched as they colored together, teased each other at meals, started food fights that they refused to let Alfred clean up, doing it themselves.

They watched as Dick read him bed time stories, his thumb sliding in his mouth. They watched as Jason hid from Dick and Dick panicked, searching the whole manor until Jason jumped on his back, laughing. They watched as Dick tickled him, and helped him get his food at meals.

They watched as Tim watched TV with him, pausing to explain what was happening as Jason listened with wide, fascinated eyes. They watched as Tim helped build a trap for Damian that they designed, laughing when it worked. They watched as Tim read to him in the library, helping him look words up in the dictionary.

They watched as Young Justice came over multiple times to hang out. They watched as the group built pillow forts and told campfire stories, Jason burying his face in someone's chest. They watched as they played tag or hide in seek, Jason's uncontrollable laughter always giving him away.

They watched as he had the flashback in the library. They saw the murder in Dick's eyes. They watched as he thrashed and screamed at night, his brothers rushing to help him. They watched as he tried to hide the flinches when a door slammed or a voice was too loud. They watched as he saw a group of burly men on the pier, clawing at Damian and Tim, screaming to go home and that he was sorry.

They watched as the video ended with the brothers in a cuddle heap, fast asleep as a movie played long forgotten on the screen.

"We have some apologizing to do." Flash sighed, shaking his head. The League made their way to the room that made the most noise, opening it and being smacked right away with a spoonful of mashed potatoes. "What the...?"

"You can't catch me, I'm the ninja bread man!" Jason shrieked, poking his head over the table and hurling a spoonful of bread stuffing towards the other side of the room, catching Conner on the chest.

"No! I've been breaded. Tell, M'gann I love her." He yelled dramatically, crawling to the sidelines where Tim, Wally, Superman, and Artemis sat, covered in various amounts of food.

"I'll avenge you, my darling!" M'gann grabbed some beans, tossing them at Jason. He dodged easily.

"Ha! Dami and I have been training for this our whole lives! Get her!"

"On it!" Damian pulled the laddle of gravy back, soaking M'gann and Dick in the process. "Ha! Sweet!"

"No one can defeat us, we are the ninja bread men!" Jason sqwuaked, throwing slices ninja star style until he took down Kaldur.

"Victory!" They yelled at the same time, the only two not covered in food.

"Now you two have to battle it out, see who the true ninja bread man is." Tim smirked, ignoring the adults filing in.

"Easily me." They whipped their heads at each other glaring. Damian flipped to the other side. "It's on!"

"Bread is love, bread is life, tater tot!" Jason grinned, grabbing his ammo. "May the best brother win."

They began to fling copious amounts of food at one another, the League making its way over to Superman. "What is going on?" Diana asked, gesturing to the mess hall.

"Ninja bread man war." Tim shrugged, watching the fight. "Take the Demon Spawn out, Jay! Show no mercy!"

"The kids decided they wanted dinner and well..." Superman trailed off, looking pointedly at Conner.

"Hey! Dick started it."

"It escalated to Damian and Jason versus everyone in elimanation. We failed, now they are fighting to see who the true ninja bread man is." Dick snorted. "Who knew Jay loved bread so much?"

They watched as Jason ran out of ammo, looking around in horror as Damian still had some left. He fell to the ground, dropping his head in his hands, sobbing. Those on the sidelines went to help but M'gann held them back. "Watch."

Damian dropped his ammo and rushed to his brother, fearing the worst, he dropped to his knees besides him. "Jay, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Jason moved lightning fast, scooping gravy off the floor and splashing it on Damian's chest with a grin. "True ninja bread men are always prepared."

Damian let out an overly dramatic gasp holding his chest. "Et tu, brother?" He fell backwards onto the messy floor.

"Shh, close your eyes, tater tot. It was a grand battle. They will write about it for ages." Jason closed Damian's eyes, erupting into giggles. Damian peeked up, smirking. "Oh n-" They fell backwards as Jason got covered in the mess of food, laughing as Damian tickled him. The room broke into applause, the rest joining in on the laughter. "D-dickie help me!"

"Sorry Jay, you got yourself into that one." Jason gasped glaring playfully. "Okay, but no more hiding for a week."

"One day."

"Deal." Dick helped Jason out of Damian's grasp, the little one breathing hard. He turned to look at the League, raising an eyebrow. "Do you have something to say or can I take my brother home for a bath and bed?"

"I want to play!" Jason pouted, climbing to his shoulders and using the gravy as hair gel as the adults talked.

"We apologize for our earlier assumptions. It was out of line and we have since been enlighten." Martian Manhunter stepped forward.

"Dickie, did you know you can't spell assumptions without ass?" Jason whispered in his ears, making his brother snort.

"How do you know that word? Did Wally teach it?"

"No, my first dad did." Jason shrugged, returning to Dick's hair. "Oh! When I wake up, will dad be at breakfast? I want to show him the picture I drew. Well, Dami helped me but that doesn't count. I did most of it."

"I hope so, Jay." Dick narrowed his eyes at Batman. "I sure hope so."


	5. Chapter 5

The older four Waynes are gathered on the couches in the main sitting area, having been there since Bruce got back from the Watchtower a little before midnight. Damian was sitting next to him, sipping his tea as he watched the three older men talk.

"So, he remembers his life up until he was five, but has no memory of before he was struck by Klarion's magic?" Bruce sighed, watching Dick and Tim shake their heads. "And you have found a way to reverse it?"

"Yes, it will take both Fate and Klarion together but it has been said to work before. If not, the texts say the spell will wear off in six months to a year." Dick rolled his eyes at Bruce's grunt of disappointment. "Look, we are already in this situation so we might as well make the most of it while we search."

Bruce went to say something but was stopped by the sound of small bare feet on the hard wood floor. His sons smiled when they saw Jason's messy hair walk into the room slowly, hands rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. When his hands were away from his eyes, the group could see they were red rimmed and his cheeks had streaks.

"Timmy?" Jason climbed his brother's legs, nuzzling his neck. "I'm glad you are okay, I was worried."

"I'm here Jay, why were you worried?" Tim automatically started running his fingers through Jason's hair.

"I had a bad dream and this time you were in it. I-I checked your room but you weren't there." The child hiccuped, holding tighter to Tim. "I got scared that they did get you and no one was in their rooms so I-" His rapidly increasing heart rate was not unnoticed by Tim.

"Hey, hey shh, we are all safe. We just came down here for a little snack. Do you want to sleep in my room tonight, Jay? Would that help?" Jason nodded against his neck, clinging as Tim stood up. "Alright, lets go to bed. I think Alfred can make those pancakes you like so much. And Dick, Damian, and I all have the day off to get dad settled after his trip."

Jason's was out like a light and his little snores could be heard as the duo walked further away. Damian looked up to his father and brother, finishing the last sip of his tea. "Well, I think we should follow their lead and go off to bed, because if you go to bed after Drake then you know you have issues."

Jason woke up curled tightly against Tim, stifling a yawn so his brother could sleep. Tim's chest rumbled with a laugh. "I'm awake, Jay, but thank you for being nice. Come on, lets go get some breakfast."

Jason allowed Tim to lead him down the hall, only stopping by his room to grab some papers. "For dad, he gets back today!" The boy squealed, taking Tim's hand once more down the stairs. He didn't notice his brother's slightly faster heart rate or slowing footsteps the closer they got to the dining room, he was too preoccupied by his drawings. "Do you think dad will like them, Timmy?"

"Of course he will, they are magnificent." Tim opened the door, sighing in relief when he saw it was just Damian and Dick at the table so far. He sat next to Dick, watching Jason climb across from him and next to Damian. "So, what's breakfast today?"

"Well, I heard young Master Jason had a rough night last night, plus your father is home today. I figured we could have an assortment of pancakes for the occasion." Alfred announced, wheeling in a cart with steaming pancakes.

"Wow, Alfie, you're the best!" Jason cried, mouth watering at all the food in front of him. "Dickie, can you please pass me one of everything?"

"One of everything? You sure you can handle that?" Damian grinned, pouring them both some orange juice.

"Dickie and Timmy say I am a growing boy, of course I can handle it." Jason stuck his tongue out, taking a sip of his orange juice as Dick placed a few pancakes and apple slices on his plate. "Thank you Dickie."

"Anything for you, little one."

The brother's ate in silence for a bit, the only sound coming from the clinking of their utensils and glasses. They only paused when the front door opened and a voice rang out. "Alfred! It is so good to see you after so long!" The oldest Wayne boys felt their stomachs tighten, anxiety eating away at them. They heard the footsteps approaching, glancing at Jason to see if he noticed. Of course, he was much too immersed in building a snowman out of pancakes to look up when Bruce walked into the room.

"Ha! I told you pancake man could work." He poked Damian, unaware of Bruce until the dining room door shut with a slight bang. Jason flinched, looking up to see what made the noise. His face broke into a huge grin when he saw it was Bruce. Grabbing the papers next to his plate, he flew out of his chair towards Bruce with a shout. "Daddy! You're back!" Jason flung himself into Bruce's stiff arms, shoving the papers in his face and talking a mile a minute. "I drew these pictures for you. Well, Dami helped but I did most of it. Oh! I met the Justice League! Ms. Wonder Woman is beautiful and Superman is so good at hide and seek, he always finds me! Dickie and Timmy and Dami's friends are super cool, they let me have ice cream but don't tell Alfie, he may get mad."

Bruce eased his posture a bit, hugging Jason tight to his chest. "I missed you, Jaylad. Can I see the pictures you drew?" Jason beamed at this, pulling Bruce to the table while talking his ear off, crawling onto his father's lap while his brothers watched. Bruce shot them a smile, reliefing the tension in the room. Dick, Damian, and Tim exchanged a look, breathing out a collective sigh as they looked at father and son chat about the drawing of the Justice League that Damian helped Jason draw, smiles making their ways onto their faces. "Who is your favorite hero, Jay?"

Jason squished his tongue out, deep in thought while Bruce sent his other three sons a wink. That is, until Jason answered his question. "Ms. Wonder Woman! She is so cool, dad! You would love her."

"I'm sure I would." Bruce mumbled, ignoring the smug looks his boys gave him. "What about Batman?"

Jason frowned, looking at the table. "I don't think Mr. Batman likes me. He seemed angry when I went to space with Dickie and Timmy and Dami. Also, Dickie kept glaring at him while we were there, so I don't think Dickie likes him." Dick snorted back a laugh, ignoring Bruce's glare. Jason squinted at him, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "What is so funny, Dickie?"

"Nothing, little man. Pancake went down the wrong pipe, that's all." Dick swallowed with a smile, taking a bite of his breakfast as if to prove a point. Jason nodded, turning back to Bruce with admiration in his eyes.

"Who do you like, dad?"

"I think Batman is pretty cool."

"Of course you do." Tim muttered, yelping when Bruce kicked him under the table. Jason looked at him with concern but Tim brushed him off, flipping Bruce off when the five year old wasn't looking. "Ass." He mouthed at his dad, sticking his tongue out childishly.

Damian cleared his throat, steering the conversation away from superheroics. "So, now that father is home, what are we going to do today?"

The youngest squealed, practically flying out of his chair with excitement. "Let's go swimming! Please, daddy, can we go swimming?"

Bruce would deny it to his grave, but whenever Jason called him 'dad' or 'daddy' he melted inside. "Of course we can, Jason. After breakfast, we will go get changed and then we can go take a swim, alright?"

Jason nodded vigorously, stuffing a huge bite of pancake in his mouth and talking around it. "Can Superman come play? Or Ms. Wonder Woman? Please?"

Bruce sighed, turning to his oldest son. "I don't know, we'll have to ask Dick since he knows them. Dick? Can they come play?"

Dick grinned mischievously, nodding his head. "I'll call them now." Jason squealed again, running around the table to hug Dick and thank him profusely. "Go get changed little one, we will clean this mess up." He grinned, running out of the room with a holler.

"So, thoughts?" Tim raised a brow at Bruce, who was staring after Jason with an unreadable expression. It was a long time before he answered and it took the man clearing his throat and shaking his head quite a few times before he finally spoke.

"I think we can work with this."


	6. Chapter 6

"Superman!" Jason squealed, sprinting down the stairs when he heard the Kryptonian enter the front door. The small child flung himself onto the chest of the hero, babbling so fast Clark couldn't help but grin. "Guess what, Superman? My daddy is home! You have to meet him, you'll love him! He is going swimming with us and Ms. Wonder Woman and my brothers, isn't that great? Oh, I hope you brought a swim suit, Superman! Our pool is huge! Like, really really big!"

"I can't wait to meet your dad, Jason. Where is he?" Clark placed Jason on the ground, allowing the child to take his hand and tug him in the direction of the pool room, chatting the whole time about how he couldn't wait for Wonder Woman to show up, he wanted to hear stories about Amazon life. The two entered the pool room, seeing the oldest three Wayne brothers sitting at the edge of the pool with their feet in the water while Bruce was off to the side on a chair.

Jason squealed, tugging on Clark's hand in the direction of Bruce. "Daddy! Look! Superman is here!" The excited five year old let go of the Kryptonian in favor of climbing his father and perching himself on his dad's shoulders, a huge grin on his face.

Clark smiled fondly at the boy before looking at Bruce to see the same soft expression. With a smirk, Clark pushed his hand out for Bruce to shake. "It is wonderful to finally meet you, Mr. Wayne. Jason speaks very highly of you." Jason let out a little 'mhm' as he played with Bruce's hair, only half paying attention to the conversation.

"You as well, Superman." Bruce resisted the urge to roll his eyes, plastering on a fake grin. Thankfully the doorbell rang, saving Bruce from having to pretend to be meeting Clark for the first time. "That must be Wonder Woman."

"I'll get it!" Jason clambered off Bruce's shoulders and skipped out of the room, returning a few minutes later with a beaming Amazon.

"Hello, you must Mr. Wayne. Your son Jason is just a pleasure." Diana laughed, shaking Bruce's outsretched hand. Jason grinned up at Wonder Woman, practically buzzing with excitement.

"Swimming time?" Dick called over, pushing Tim into the pool without waiting for an answer. Tim resurfaced with a gasp, splashing Dick and Damian who jumped in after him. "Come on, Jay, water is beautiful."

With a giggle, Jason went running to the water and did a cannonball, arm floaties keeping him from going too far underwater. He came back up and looked over at the adults, waving them over to the pool. "Come on, daddy, come swim!" Diana and Clark slipped into the water next, pulling Bruce with them. Bruce immediately went over to Jason, scooping the small child up in his arms and tickling the boy's sides, making Jason squeak with laughter.

"I haven't seen either of them this happy in a long time." The two Justice Leaguers jumped at the sound of Damian's voice, turning to notice him standing next to them at the edge of the pool. He grinned slightly when he saw their shocked faces, nodding at his family. "I mean, their relationship was so strained before an now look at them. Makes you wonder..."

"Wonder what?" Diana asked, eyes narrowing before she gasped, realizing what Damian was implying. "Damian, that isn't fair to Jason. You can't do that to him."

Damian shrugged, not making eye contact with either adult. "He is much happier this way and his life wasn't that great before he aged down. Besides, it only will be for a year. He deserves to be happy." Before the adults could reply, Damian swam off to join his family in tossing Jason in the air, letting the small boy fall back into the water with laughter.

Everyone was so preoccupied swimming, nobody noticed the two figures slip into the room until the taller one let out a loud screech. "Jason, is that you? What happened?"

All eyes turned to see Kori and Roy standing at the edge of the pool in casual clothes, mouthes wide open as they stared at their deaged friend. Jason wiggled out of Tim's arms and swam to the edge of the pool, looking up at the two with a curious expression. "How do you know my name, pretty fire lady? Are you friends with Dickie?"

"Oh my god, I didn't think Kaldur was serious about this." Roy bit back a laugh, crouching next Jason. "Hey Jay, my name is Roy and this is Kori. Yeah, we are friends of your brother."

Kori just nodded when Jason looked back to her, never taking her eyes off the small boy. Jason squished out his tongue, nodding in approval. "Do you want to swim with us? Oh! Do you know Superman and Ms. Wonder Woman, too? Or Art and Megan and Wally and Conner and Kal? They are so nice and give me ice cream and play games with me. Will you play games with me too?"

Kori had to bite her lip to stop from squealing at how cute she found her deaged friend. "Of course we will play games with you! Won't we, Roy?"

"Yes, anything for you little man." Roy grinned, taking his sandals and shirt off and jumping in the pool next to Jason.

For the next two hours, the group swam in the pool and played Marco-Polo until Jason got tired, crawling out of the pool to go take a nap on one of the pool chairs with Damian as his pillow. The rest of the group decided to go get some late lunch, sitting around the dining room table catching Roy and Kori up on Little Jason.

"So he has been little for a few weeks now and nobody told us?" Kori asked, taking a bite of her sandwich and glaring accusingly at Dick.

"Sorry, we were a bit busy taking care of our newly toddler aged brother." He shrugged unapologetically. Roy was laughing the whole time under his breath, knowing he would be using this for blackmail the second Jason was back to his proper age.

And while the adults and older teens were all eating and laughing in the dining room, they all failed to notice when when two people entered the pool room, strolling right up to the passed out brothers.

"Mistress Talia, what need do you have for the little one?" Lady Shiva asked, gesturing to Jason as he curled tighter into Damian.

Talia smirked as she crouched next to the two boys, stroking their hair out of their faces. "I have a feeling he has retained more memories than he is letting on. Our muscles do not forget the way our minds do, so I can train him to be a more formidable fighter than even my son."

"And how will you convince them both to stay?"

"He was adopted by my love. I will simply show him a mother's touch." And with that, the two women scooped Jason and Damian up, disappearing and leaving the group in the dining room none the wiser.


	7. Note

Hey y'all! I am going to be continuing this story on my Wattpad account, scarlettromanof, so if you are interested in seeing how the rest of this plays out I probably won't be updating it further on here anymore as I barely use this site.


	8. Chapter 7

When little Jason and Damian woke up, they were confused to say the least.

Until Damian got his bearings and recognized his room at the League of Assassins' headquarters. Damian was instantly on alert, pulling Jason close to his chest and looking around the room for a weapon or anything he could use to defend themselves.

"No need for such dramatics, my son. We did not bring you here to harm you."

Damian and Jason whipped their heads to the doorway where Talia stood, a calculated smile on her face. Jason cocked his head to the side, looking between mother and son before bombarding them with questions. "Dami, who is she? Where are we? Where is daddy? What happened to Dickie and Timmy? Where did Ms. Wonder Woman and Superman go? Are we going to see the pretty fire lady again? What about Roy? I miss Alfred. I'm hungry. Can we eat?"

Before Damian could answer his little brother, Talia chuckled lightly, walking into the room and taking a seat on the foot of the bed. Damian resisted the urge to scoot back, not wanting to show fear. "My dear boy, I am his mother and now I am yours as well."

"Leave Jason out of this." Damian hissed, wishing he had his katana with him.

"Why would I neglect one of my children?" Talia blinked innocently at Damian, the ghost of a smirk painted on her lips. She turned away from Damian, opening her arms to Jason. "Come to mommy, Jason. I have much I want to show you."

Jason hesitated, looking between Talia and Damian for a moment before carefully making his way towards Talia. She scooped him up in her arms, grinning at Damian's glare, knowing he did not want to alarm or confuse the child. Jason glanced up at Talia as she stood up from the bed with him in her arms. "Can Dami come too?"

"Of course, this gift is for both of you, after all." Talia switched Jason to one arm, holding her free hand out to Damian, who reluctantly took it. Jason snuggled in closely to Talia as they walked through the halls of the headquarters, stopping outside the dining hall if Damian remembers correctly. The door opened with a flourish and the trio entered, Talia leading them to a table that was set up with a buffet of Jason's favorite breakfast foods. She smiled what seemed to be a sincere smile, placing Jason down in a chair and letting go of Damian's hand. "Please, eat up. You'll need your energy."

"Why? Are we playing tag? Or hide and seek? You know who is really good at those games? Dami." Jason giggle, shoveling a bite of pancake into his mouth before Damian could stop him. "This is really good, thank you, mommy."

Damian watched in horror as a Cheshire cat grin spread across his mother's face as she watched Jason devour pancake after pancake. She spoke in a sickly sweet voice, reaching across the table to pinch Jason's cheek. "Trust me, darling, the pleasure is all mine."

\- - -

Back at the Wayne Manor, the group that was eating lunch finished up their meals, cleaning up their dishes before deciding to go check on the two napping boys.

"They sure do nap a lot." Tim chuckled as he scrolled through his phone's camera roll, which was stocked full of photographs of Damian and Jason napping together in increasingly weird places. So far, the weirdest spot he found them in was on top of the main hall chandelier.

"Well, from what I've heard human children need sleep in order to develop and grow." Kori offered, flying slightly ahead of the group as she was eager to spend more time with her deaged friend. "Perhaps Jason is trying, subconsciously, to age back up?"

"Doubtful, but a worthy theory to look into." Bruce grunted, hanging back at the door to say goodbye to Clark and Diana. "Thank you both for coming and hanging out with Jason, he really seems to enjoy your company."

"Yours as well, Bruce. Cherish this, for we all know it must come to an end eventually." Diana thought back to the scheming look on Damian's face in the pool and shuddered. "It must come to an end."

"Well, I'll see you at the next meeting. Or whenever Jason wants to play again." Clark chuckled before flying off, Diana following suit.

Bruce followed the path his sons took to the pool room, entering to find the group sitting at the edge of the pool with their eyes covered. He frowned, walking closer before deciding to ask what was going.

"We didn't find Damian or Jason on the chair, so we thought they might be hiding, waiting to push us into the pool when we least expect it." Dick offered up, the thinly veiled panic in his voice not going unnoticed by Bruce. "Want to join?"

"I want to find my sons, they need to eat lunch." Bruce turned away from the young adults, walking back through the manor as he called their names over and over again. "Damian, come out with Jason! This isn't funny anymore!"

After fifteen minutes of waiting by the pool, the group decided to join in searching, Dick no longer hiding his panic.

"Jay? Jason? Damian? Come out, guys, please!" He yelled, climbing the chandelier for a better vantage point.

Kori flew the outer edge of the Manor grounds, not finding a trace of the two young boys outside while Roy searched the inside of the house with Alfred and Bruce. Tim was the one who had the idea of going down to the Batcave, careful to make sure Jason wasn't around to sneak in.

If he wasn't already in there, that is.

Tim and the rest of the gang walked up to the monitors, Tim sitting down in the chair and pulling up the manor security feed. Everyone felt their hearts collectively drop when they saw what the feeds had to offer.

Nothing but static, meaning someone cut the feed, someone good.

Bruce slammed his fist down on the back of the chair, startling Tim. All eyes were on the Dark Knight as he growled lowly. "Call in reinforcements, we're knocking down every door until we find out who kidnapped my sons. And then we are making them pay."


	9. Chapter 8

Damian was itching to get away from his mother so he could contact his father to let him know what was happening. Damian wasn't even sure what was happening, but he didn't have a good feeling about it. So far Talia had been nothing but maternal to Jason and him, more maternal than she had ever been to him when he was growing up. She was even playing with Jason.

It made Damian a little sick.

Right now the three of them were in one of the headquarters many training rooms along with Lady Shiva, who Damian was pretty sure was there to make sure he didn't sneak off while Talia played hide and seek with Jason.

As if Damian would leave Jason alone with his mother.

"Ready or not here I come." Talia sang out, uncovering her eyes. Jason let out a little giggle, ducking behind the pillar once more. Talia tapped her chin, pretending to think about where the young boy could be hiding. "Hmm, I wonder, is Jason hiding over here?" She peaked around a curtain, obviously not finding the boy. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

"Boo!" Jason yelled, jumping on Talia's back. Damian was shocked to see his mother allow such closeness outside of training. He was trying to figure out her strategy when he saw her feed Jason a special treat he only got when he completed a particularly difficult course in training.

He narrowed his eyes, about to say something when Lady Shiva materialized at his side. "Master Damian, Lady Talia wishes to have some alone time with the child. Come, you are needed elsewhere."

"Like hell am I leaving Jason alone with her." Damian hissed coldly, snatching his arm out of Shiva's grip.

Jason looked up from his position in Talia's arms, confusion etched on his features. "Dami, what's going on?"

Damian was torn. On one hand, he did not trust his mother at all. On the other, he did not want to alarm Jason to the life threatening danger they could be in. He decided to go with his gut.

"Nothing, Jay, I was just letting Lady Shiva know that our visit with...mother is ending. We must be returning to father and our brothers now." Damian plastered a fake smile on, approaching Jason with his arms stretched out to receive the child from his mother.

Instead of diving into his arms like Damian expected him to, Jason snuggled closer to Talia, pouting. "No, I want to stay with mommy."

Talia grinned her cold smile, kissing Jason's temple. "Damian, I told you. I did not bring you here to harm you. You can trust me."

Damian grit his teeth, taking a step closer to Jason. "Come on, Jay. We're leaving."

"No! I'm staying with mommy!" Jason yelled, tears pooling in his eyes as his cheeks reddened.

"Damian, you are upsetting him." Talia spoke coolly, relishing in her victory. "Shiva, please escort Damian to his chambers."

"Yes, Mistress Talia."

This time Damian didn't shake Shiva off. He glared at his mother as he left, thinking up a hundred ways to exact his revenge as the door shut, cutting him off from his brother and mother.

Once Damian and Shiva were gone, Talia turned to Jason with a warm smile. "Now, are you ready for your extra special gift, my dear?"

"Yes please, mommy." Jason smiled, clapping his hands excitedly as Talia placed him on the ground.

"Close your eyes and count to ten, mommy has to go get it ready."

Jason did as he was told, surprised at how well he heard Talia's retreating footsteps. He started to count to ten in his head, stopping at seven when he heard the unmistakable sound of running.

As if on some subconscious instinct, Jason whirled around and caught Talia's foot by the ankle just before it connected with his chest. He twisted her around, tossing her to the floor completely on autopilot, causing her to land on her stomach with a thump.

Talia chuckled from her position on the floor, her suspicions confirmed. She rolled over, sitting up to embrace the startled Jason.

"Mommy, what was that?" He asked, shaking slightly.

"Remember how you told me you were playing superheroes with your brother? Well, mommy is going to teach you to be a superhero." Talia grinned widely, petting Jason's hair.

"Like Batman?" Jason squealed, remembering his dad's favorite hero. Maybe he could be daddy's new favorite.

"Even better."

"And you guys are positive they aren't just hiding?" Hal Jordan asked, leaning against the computer in the Batcave.

"We've been over this. We've searched the entire manor and the grounds multiple times over, thoroughly. They are nowhere to be found." Tim all but snapped at the Green Lantern.

"And someone definitely hacked the system. But who? Who would be able to do such a thing?" Dick asked, on his fourth cup of stress reducing tea. So far, it was not working.

"Selina would know how to do it, but she wouldn't take the boys." Bruce grunted, thinking about his sometimes lover.

"Are you sure? How does your relationship stand right now?" Wally asked, the team having come over for moral support and to help in the investigation.

"Trust me, I'm positive."

"Well, we should still check..." Artemis mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

Tim decided to voice the one thought he was sure everyone was thinking but no one wanted to say. "What if it was the Joker?"

Bruce literally growled, slamming his fist down on the table full of scribbled notes. "I'll kill him if he hurts a hair on either of their heads."

"Bruce, calm down. Joker is in Arkham." Dick spoke shakily, the caffeine from the tea getting to him. "We should split up, each group take a different lead to investigate."

So the Justice League members that were available and the team gathered around Bruce, Tim, and Dick as they divided them up into squads, all of them heading out on their missions to knock some teeth out until they found the missing boys.

Six squads left the cave that evening, but not a single one was heading in the right direction.


	10. Chapter 9

"Argh!" Damian yelled into his pillow for the fifth time that hour, his frustration getting the better of him. He threw the pillow across the room, getting off the bed and proceeded to pace the floor, his mind still stuck on what his mother could possibly be doing to Jason.

Luckily, he didn't have to worry too much longer for the door to his bedroom flew open and in came Jason tugging along Talia. Jason had a huge smile on his face and looked unharmed, but Damian knew the emotional damage his mother could do.

In an instant Damian scooped Jason up, hugging him tightly. "What did you do to him, _mother?"_

Jason let out a small giggle. "Dami, mommy is going to teach me to be a superhero like Ms. Wonder Woman and Superman! How cool is that?"

Damian had real shock on his face, although he should not be surprised his mother would pull something like this. He narrowed his eyes at Talia, subtly turning Jason away from Talia with his body. "How could you?" He hissed, unsure if he was angrier over the fact that she was training Jason or that she was training Jason and not him. "He is a _child_ , mother."

"And so were you. If you do not like it, you are welcome to leave." Talia gestured to the door. "But I believe Jason would like to stay, don't you, Jason?"

Jason wiggled out of Damian's grip and went running over to Talia, gripping her hand. "Of course, mommy." He turned to Damian with a pleading look. "Dami, please stay. Maybe mommy can make you a superhero too!"

Damian, of course, caved. There was no way he was going to leave his brother with his mother. Talia grinned her cold smile, extending her free hand to Damian. "We are going to be such a happy little _family._ Come, we must eat. You must be starving Damian, you did not eat a thing earlier."

Damian grit his teeth, ignoring the rumble of his stomach. "I am not hungry."

"Dami, please eat. The food is so yummy. And you need to eat to grow big and strong, like Dickie and daddy! Oh, I miss them. Can we see them, mommy?" Jason turned to Talia with innocent eyes. "Please?"

Talia squeezed his hand as they entered the dining hall, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. "After your training is complete, sweetie. For now, all you need is mommy."

Jason giggled, nodding his head enthusiastically. "I love you, mommy."

"And I, you."

Damian felt like he was going to hurl as he watched the scene play out, desperate to tear himself away from it and his mother's iron clad grip. Damian was placed in the seat next to Jason and Talia took up the spot across from them, the food already placed out on their plates. She gestured for them to start eating and that was all Jason needed to dig in. He looked over at Damian, giving him a curious look when he saw his brother wasn't eating but was merely poking his food.

"Dami, eat! It is so good." Jason shoved his fork in Damian's face and Damian wanted to resist, but in doing so would risk raising Jason's suspicions and hurting his feelings. So he opened his mouth and ate the food, surprised to find it actually was delicious and he felt compelled to eat more off of his own plate.

Talia grinned, her hands clasped together as she watched the two brothers eat the food placed in front of them. She accepted her own plate of food a moment later, eating along with her children. Jason looked up from his food and smiled at Talia.

"I want to stay with you forever mommy."

Damian laughed, feeling a bit more at ease. "Maybe not forever Jay, but we can stay until you finish your training."

Talia pat Damian's hand. "I'm glad to see you coming around, my son."

Damian smiled at her, taking her hand in his. "Why wouldn't I, mother? This place is my home."

Talia squeezed Damian's hand, reaching over to take Jason's hand as well. She looked between the two boys, the Cheshire cat grin reappearing. "Let's not fight anymore, okay? I love you, my sons."

"We love you too, mommy."

Dick was paired up with Artemis, Wonder Woman, and Flash, the group heading to Selina's house to interrogate her. They made it to her penthouse, buzzing the buzzer. The group let Dick do the talking, knowing he had the best chance of getting them in.

"Selina? It's me, Dick Grayson. I'm here with some...associates. Can we come in? We need to ask you a few questions about Damian and Jason."

There was a pause, a painfully long pause, before they were buzzed in. The group made their way up to the penthouse and when the elevator doors opened, they weren't surprised to see Selina in her costume, claws out.

"What do you want, Grayson? What's with the heroes?" She hissed. "Where's Bruce?"

"We figured he could not be objective here, so we came in his place." Dick sighed, gesturing for Selina to put her claws away. She refused. "Selina, do you know where Jason and Damian are?"

She shook her head. "Why don't you just call them?"

"Oh, I don't know, because they were kidnapped? And one of them is a five year old?" Artemis unwittingly snapped, realizing her mistake a moment too late.

"Damian is not- _Jason?_ How did he- never mind, that buffoon would find a way." Selina sighed, retracting her claws and relaxing her position. "I do not know where the little kittens are and if I did I would tell you. Why would you assume I have them?"

"As a way of getting Bruce's attention? We know your relationship with him has been rocky as of late." Flash offered up. "Can you think of anyone who could possibly want the boys?"

Selina thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. "I'm sorry I could not be more help in finding your strays. Now, if you'll excuse me. I am going to make good work of the night now that I know Batman is... _preoccupied."_

Dick made a disgusted face as the others just sighed, exiting the apartment in a defeated manner, not a one of them realizing the obvious spot where the boys were.

Flash called Green Arrow, who was with Tim, Wally, Kori, and Green Lantern, letting them know the disappointment of their night.

"Yeah...I know...sure, I'll let Dick know...bye." Barry hung up, turning to Dick who had been eavesdropping on the conversation. "They didn't have any luck with Poison Ivy, which leaves us with-"

Dick shuddered. "The Joker."


	11. Chapter 10

The group of Justice Leaguers, team members, and Bat family members gathered around the Batcave to discuss the huge elephant in the room, all of them having been unsuccessful on their trips to their various leads.

"So...the Joker." Tim cleared his throat. "What we know so far is-"

"He broke out of Arkham...three days ago." All eyes turned to Roy as he scrolled through his phone, turning the screen to show everyone the news article that was alerting Gotham citizens of the crazed clown on the loose. "I'm surprised you guys didn't know about this."

"We are a little preoccupied by Jason." Dick semi-snapped. "So, if the Joker broke out then that means he could plausibly have the boys, right?"

"But is he sneaky enough to get past our security and get the boys without any of us noticing until we did? No." Bruce sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair. "Its not him."

"But we still need to _check_ , Bruce." Tim spoke in an exasperated tone. "And at this point, who else could have Damian and Jason, huh? Who would want them?"

Once again, the obvious was staring them in the face. But the group was too stressed to think straight, still on the Joker train.

"I'm not sure, Tim. Let's go back to the drawing board if it turns out the Joker doesn't have them, okay?" Bruce got up, leading the charge towards the cave exit. "Split up, we'll cover more ground. If anyone finds the Joker, call me."

Surprisingly, it wasn't them finding the Joker, but rather, Harley Quinn finding them.

She had flagged down Kori as the alien princess was flying by, asking if they had found the missing boys yet. This had enraged Kori, making her think Harley had something to do with the disappearance of the boys. So she attacked Harley, demanding the location of the missing children.

Harley confessed rather quickly that she had no idea where they were, she had heard through Ivy that the hero community was searching for two missing boys and that one of them was Red Hood de-aged.

Batman was there in no time, asking Harley for everything she knew.

"Why are you so interested, Harley?" Bruce growled.

Harley held her hands up in a defensive position. "Look, Batsy, I have a soft spot for children. I don't want any harm to come to them, especially Jason. He's a good kid, y'know?"

Bruce didn't question how she knew Jason's name, knowing his son was less secretive with his identity than he was. "Do you know who has them?"

Harley shook her head. "I know it ain't me or Pamela. Mista J has been working on building his empire since he was in Arkham for so long, so I doubt him. But ya never know." She shrugged. "Sorry I can't help more, I hope you find them though."

Bruce sighed, asking Harley to let him know if she hears anything. Harley nodded, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I get it, I'm a mother. If anything happened to my kid, I'd be freaking too."

With that Harley stalked off into the night, leaving Bruce with a nagging feeling in his mind. "Mother...oh, my god. _Talia."_ Bruce was on the comms instantly, demanding everyone converge on the Batcave pronto.

Everyone was at the cave, antsy to hear the important news Bruce had to tell them. He was currently pacing the floor, cowl down with a scowl on his face. Tim and Dick had never seen him look so agitated and so... _nervous._

Diana cautiously approached the Dark Knight. "Bruce, what is it that has gotten you so tense?"

Bruce paused his pacing, turning to face the group. All it took was the muttering of one name for everyone to understand what was going on. "Talia Al Ghul."

A shudder went through the group. Tim stood up and went over to the computer, typing for a few moments before pulling up everything they had on Talia, letting the others read it over. He turned to Bruce. "Why don't we just call her? Aren't you currently on civil terms with her?"

"That will surely change after this." Artemis snorted.

Bruce pondered it for a moment before nodding at Tim. Tim then typed away for another moment before a video chat screen popped up, dialing Talia Al Ghul.

It was barely a minute later that she answered, a cool expression on her face when she saw Bruce and the gathering of heroes behind him. "Hello, my love. To what do I owe this call?"

"Cut the crap, Talia. We know you have Jason and Damian." Dick snarled, fists clenched at his side.

Talia raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"So return my boys home to me or so help me-" Bruce was cut off by Talia shushing him.

"My love, the children are sleeping. Let them be." She adjusted the camera to show the two brothers sleeping peacefully, cuddled close together. Jason had his thumb in his mouth as his head rested on Damian's chest, Damian's arms wrapped protectively around Jason's tiny body. Talia turned back to the camera with a soft smile on her face. "As you can see, they are both unharmed and at peace being here. If I recall, Jason had been having night terrors at your place. Here, none whatsoever."

Bruce could feel his blood pressure rising by the second. "Talia. Return the children to their home, now."

Talia sighed, shaking her head. "What aren't you understanding? They _are_ home. They love it here with me, or do you need to hear them say it for themselves?" Bruce just stared at Talia until she got his point and she _tsked._ "Making me wake our children, really Bruce."

Talia went over to the bed and gently shook the two boys awake. Both of them let out a big yawn, smiles on their faces when they saw Talia. It sent a shiver down Bruce's spine, especially when Damian hugged Talia.

Jason crawled right into her arms, cuddling close to her. "Hi, mommy. What's going on?" He blinked sleepily, looking around the room until his eyes fell on the computer and he saw his father and brothers. Jason was taken aback for a moment before his smile grew and he waved at the computer, staying firmly planted in Talia's arms. "Hi, daddy! Hi Dickie! Hi Timmy! I missed you."

"We miss you too, Jay." Dick had tears in his eyes as he watched his two little brothers snuggle close to Talia. "Please, come home."

Jason and Damian both got confused expressions on their faces. Damian looked between Talia and Bruce. "But we _are_ home. We want to live with mommy now."


	12. Chapter 11

Bruce felt his heart break in two, seeing two of his boys cuddle up with Talia and happy about it. He sighed, about to attempt to convince them to come home when Jason spoke up.

"Oh! Mommy, can daddy and Timmy and Dickie come visit to see what I've been working on? Please mommy?"

Talia's smile grew and she ruffled his hair, making Dick want to cut her hand off. "Why, I think that is a wonderful idea. What do you say, Bruce? Are you up for a little trip?"

Bruce grit his teeth, nodding his head. "Of course. Anything for you, Jay. When should we depart?"

Talia had a faux thoughtful expression on her face, her lips pursed. "Hmm, tonight. The three of you will most definitely be impressed." Jason whined and Talia cooed at him, turning back to the camera. "Well, I shall see you when the three of you arrive. Until then, my love."

The call ended.

Bruce turned to the other heroes with the darkest expression any one of them had ever seen him have. He stood up and strode towards where the plane was parked. "Dick, Tim, let's go."

"What about us?" Roy demanded, looking peeved that Bruce would even think of suggesting he sit back and watch his best friend be kidnapped by Talia Al Ghul.

Bruce turned around as he was about to board the plane. "The rest of you follow in bioship, camouflage mode. Be on standby."

And with that, the Waynes were off to rescue their youngest.

It luckily wasn't too long of a flight to the League of Assassins head quarters, and Dick couldn't be more grateful. He was getting antsy and he could tell Tim was too. Bruce was his usual stoic self but judging by his body language, Dick could see the agitation practically radiating from him.

The trio departed from the plane, standing at the foot of the white marble palace. They glanced amongst themselves before they started to ascend the stairs. Once they reached the top, the doors flung open and their stood Damian, all smiles and giggles.

Tim looked at Dick, his eyes conveying his message loud and clear.

What happened to their Damian?

Damian grabbed Bruce and Dick's hands, pulling them towards the inside of the palace. "Come on! Mommy and Jason are waiting in the dining room. You are going to love their surprise, I can just tell."

Tim followed along, eyes scanning the palace for any threats but finding none. Other than Damian's weird behavior, that is.

Damian dragged the trio down the winding halls of the marble palace, coming to a stop outside what they assumed to be the dining room. He let out a little giggle as he knocked on the door, completely unnerving Tim.

"Come in, Damian!" Talia's voice called out, sending a shudder down Dick's body.

The doors creeped open and they were met with the sight of Talia calmly eating at the head table, Damian running over to her side.

"Where's Jason?" Bruce growled, eyes scanning the room for his youngest son. Talia smirked, eyes glinting something unreadable before she snapped her fingers.

The doors swung shut and the trio of bats turned around, eyes bulging out of their heads when they saw little Jason standing there in a training suit with a katana in his hands, his face devoid of emotion.

"Jay...Jason, what happened?" Tim stumbled over his words, glad he was in costume as he had a sinking feeling he was going to have to fight his way out of here.

"Jason, you know what they did to your daddy and brothers." Talia spoke sickly sweet, her eyes glowing in twisted amusement. "Sic them."

Jason dove at his family, striking at them with the katana and catching Bruce's utility belt in the process. The belt went falling to the floor with a klank, and Jason smirked ever so slightly, drawing the blade back as his family took a step back.

"Jason, we aren't going to fight you. Whatever Talia told you, it isn't true." Dick tried reasoning with the five year old, his plan back firing majorly when Jason's eyes turned even more hate filled.

"Don't talk about my mommy." He snarled, focusing his efforts on attacking Dick solely.

Jason ran at Dick, catching his thighs with the katana. Dick hissed, going to grab the blade from Jason only for Bruce to beat him to it.

Bruce wrapped his arms around Jason's trunk, yanking the blade from his grip. Jason growled, swinging his head back to head butt Bruce. He broke free of Bruce's grip during the chaos of Bruce's broken nose, turning his attention back to Dick.

He charged once more, without the katana. He hit the pressure point between Dick's collarbones, causing his oldest brother to collapse to the ground temporarily paralyzed.

Jason looked back to Tim and Bruce, grabbing Dick's escrima sticks from his belt before charging at Tim. He hit him in the knees, sending him to the ground. Once Tim was more his height, he flipped over his head and put Tim in a choke hold, holding him there until the teen passed out.

Bruce, who was fumbling for the panic button that would alert the others waiting in the bioship to their distress, never saw the kick to the neck coming.

He grabbed hold of Jason's tiny thighs as they wrapped around his throat from behind, trying desperately to catch his breath and remove the little ninja from his throat.

But Jason was strong and resourceful.

He took the escrima stick and smashed it on one of Bruce's hands, making the man cry out in pain.

"That's for hurting my daddy." He did the same to his other hand. "And that's for hurting my brothers."

Bruce took his throbbing hands, an idea popping into his oxygen lacking brain. He pulled his cowl down, reaching up to grab Jason by the armpits and rip him from around his neck.

He held him out in front of him, gasping for air as black spots danced in his vision and Jason thrashed in his grip. "Jason...look at me."

Jason looked and gasped. "Daddy? But...how? Mommy...mommy said..." Jason looked around at the damage he caused and back at Talia, tears streaming down his face as he stopped fighting, the escrima stick falling from his grip. "What have I done, daddy? I'm...I'm a monster."


	13. Chapter 12

Bruce wrapped his arms around the sobbing Jason, pulling him close to his chest. He ran a gloved hand through his hair, whispered soothing words in his ear as the small child cried.

Damian, who was across the room still next to Talia, saw Jason's break down and felt something snap inside him. He walked calmly away from his mother, past the father and son to the discarded katana. He picked it up, gaining the attention of the paralyzed Dick and the just coming to Tim. They stared at their brother, unsure of his intentions and whether or not he had broken free of whatever mind control Talia had them under when Damian lifted the sword and pointed it at his mother.

"You are despicable, mother. What you did to me was simply family tradition, but you have no excuse for what you have done to Jason. You blatantly manipulated and destroyed his psyche, taking an innocent child and turned him against his family." Damian began to walk towards his mother. "For those transgressions, you shall pay with your life."

"Damian, no." Tim spoke weakly, his voice still hoarse from his throat being crushed during the choke hold. "You can't...you can't kill her."

Damian smirked, turning to his family. "Oh, I won't be the one killing her." He turned to katana around so the hilt was facing Talia. "She will have that honor. Isn't that right, mother dearest?"

Talia looked like she wanted to say something completely different than what came out of her mouth. "Why yes, of course."

She took the sword from her son, ushering everyone out of the room. Damian stayed behind, returning to the hall a moment later with an unreadable expression. "It is done."

"How did you-" Tim, who had carried Dick out, was cut off by Damian.

"I had discovered she had been drugging mine and Jason's food with a suggestion drug, so that anything she told us we would believe or follow. Jason, being younger, was more susceptible to the effects. I simply...turned the tables." Damian smirked, taking Jason from Bruce's arms.

"So you told her to kill herself and she did?" Bruce was not happy.

"It was the only way to ensure she would not harm Jason again. Besides, Shiva will most likely just use the Pit on her anyways, so did she really die?" Damian rocked Jason in his arms as they walked until the sobbing child fell asleep.

"Yes, Damian, she did."

Damian just shrugged as they came upon Lady Shiva. Damian nodded towards the dining hall and Shiva nodded back, letting them pass without incident. The others gave him an incredulous look.

"What? I still have a hold here."

On the plane, the phone was practically ringing off the metaphorical hook. Bruce answered it to see Diana standing there with a worried expression until she saw the sleeping Jason in the unharmed Damian's arms. Her expression changed to concern when she saw Bruce's bloody face and the paralyzed Dick.

"What the hell happened in there? Why didn't you call for back up?"

"We didn't need it." Bruce grunted, taking the pilot seat. "Everything was handled."

Diana raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Uh huh, then why do you have a broken nose and why is Dick paralyzed?" All eyes unknowingly fell on Jason. Diana inhaled sharply. "No."

"Unfortunately, yes. Its a long story and we are all tired. I'll tell you later." Bruce hung up before Diana could say anything else.

The family flew back to the manor in silence, nobody daring to say a word in case they woke the sleeping child still cradled in Damian's arms. They departed the plane in the Batcave, being bombarded with questioning stares and unasked questions from the others, who arrived moments before them.

Bruce held up a hand to silence them, gesturing for his sons to take Jason upstairs so the following discussion would not wake the sleeping boy.

As soon as the door closed behind the boys, Bruce launched into the explanation. When he finished, the other heroes just stared at him in shock and horror.

"Oh, when I get my hands on that woman." Kori growled, her hands glowing green as she let her emotions get the better of her.

"Settle down, Damian...took care of her." The way Bruce said this, everyone knew what he meant.

"He killed his own mother?" Diana was in shock, knowing how Bruce felt about murder.

"No, as I explained, he had her kill herself." Bruce was still unsure of how to feel about that. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "If you'll excuse me, I would very much like it if you all saw yourselves out. Thank you for your help in returning my sons home safely but I believe we all need some rest."

The others all nodded, murmuring their understanding and support as they exited the cave, leaving Bruce to make his way upstairs to the manor. He got to the manor, heading straight for Jason's room.

Once outside, he hesitated before stepping inside, a small smile making its way onto his face at the sight he was met with. All of his sons were piled protectively around Jason, who was snuggled in happily in the middle of the cuddle pile with a look of contentment on his face as he slept, thumb in mouth as always.

Bruce was about to close the door and leave when he heard a tiny voice call out to him. "Daddy? Please stay, I had the strangest, scariest dream..."

Bruce melted, closing the door as he returned to the bedside. He sank to the floor so he was eye level with Jason, who was looking up at him with wide innocent eyes. He patted the bed, motioning for his father to join the rest of the family in the cuddle fest. Bruce was careful not to wake the other sleeping boys as he got into bed, pulling Jason to his chest. Jason hummed happily, curling tight to his father as they both drifted off to sleep, happy to put that chapter of their lives behind them.


	14. Chapter 13

When Bruce woke up he thought was going to have a panic attack. The bed around him was empty, none of his sons anywhere in sight.

He tore back the covers, running out of the room and down the stairs, calling out the entire time. "Boys! Boys, where are you?"

"In here, father!"

Bruce calmed his racing heart and breathing before entering the living room to see his four sons snuggled on the floor in a pillow and blanket fort, Jason wearing a blanket like a cape.

When he saw his father, his eyes lit up and he scrambled out of his brothers' limbs, racing towards Bruce. "Daddy! We are playing Justice League! I'm Batman, like you!" He giggled, warming Bruce to his core. "Come play, Alfred is going to join us 'in a bit' as he said."

Bruce smiled, allowing himself to be tugged into the fort. "If you're Batman, then who am I going to be?"

Jason squished his tongue out as he thought. "Hmm, you can be Superman!"

Bruce chuckled, accepting the blanket-cape his son handed him, tying it around his neck. The family played Justice League for a bit until Bruce's phone rang, bringing him out of the happy little world he created when he saw it was the real Superman calling.

"Clark, what is it?" Bruce admits, he could've answered in a kinder tone. But Superman interrupted his play time.

"Did you forget that the Joker is still at large?" Bruce cursed. "I'll take that as a yes. Bruce, if you want I can handle-"

"No, no, it's okay. I'll do it." Bruce sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Do you mind watching the boys while I do so, though? I don't want another Talia incident."

Damian flinched at the mention of his mother, pulling Jason closer to him.

"Of course. I'll be over soon." Clark hung up and Bruce went back to playing with his sons, Jason oblivious to the stress his family was under. It didn't take Superman long to arrive, so he let himself into the manor and found the family. "Bruce, its me."

"We're in here!"

Superman chuckled when he saw what the boys had down to the living room, bending down to see inside the blanket fort. "What's going on in here?"

"We're playing Justice League!" Jason called out, grabbing Clark's hand and pulling him inside the fort. "You can be Miss Wonder Woman!"

Clark chuckled, accepting the pillow for a shield. He nodded for Bruce to leave, signaling that he had everything under control here. Bruce still hesitated, so Dick stood up and drgged him from the room.

"Look, the faster you catch the Joker the faster you can return home to us, got it?" Bruce nodded. "Good, now go catch that psychopathic clown."

Bruce left for the Batcave, leaving his family to continue to play Justice League while he hunted down the Joker. Dick returned to the group, diving right back into the game.

Jason, being five and easily distractible, decided he was done playing Justice League and was now hungry. "Can we bake some cookies? Please, Superman, please!"

Superman looked to the other three boys who all were getting a bit hungry. "Its a little early for cookies, can we bake pancakes instead?"

Jason looked appalled. "No! I want cookies!" Jason stomped his foot, much more comfortable with the family now to be able to show his emotions. "Not pancakes!"

Tim sighed, getting down on his knees so he was eye level with Jason. "Jay, we can bake cookies later. Right now it is morning and we can't have cookies in the morning. We need breakfast."

Jason got red in the face as he began to hold his breath. His brothers panicked, not sure what to do. Superman calmly walked over and breathed in his face.

That didn't work.

"Quick, get him to the sink, he is turning purple!" Clark grabbed Jason and flew him to the sink, holding his head under the faucet as he turned on the cold water. Jason let out a shocked gasp as he began to breath again, spluttering as the cold water hit his face. He started sobbing. Superman held him close, shushing him gently as he rocked him. "Jason, what is really going on? Is this actually about the cookies?"

"N-no. I'm scared. I had a really bad dream last night about a woman who said she was my mommy." The brothers winced, instinctively coming closer to Jason. "She made me do bad things to Timmy and Dickie and daddy. It felt so real."

Dick looked at his brothers, unsure of whether or not to tell Jason it was real. He decided not to, taking Jason from Superman's arms. "Oh Jay, you could never hurt us."

"B-but what if I could? This lady...she said I had abilities to be like daddy and Dami and Timmy and you. What if I did hurt you?" Jason sniffled. "On accident."

Dick looked to Damian, knowing he had the best luck with Jason. Damian crouched next to Jason, smoothing his hair back from his face. "Jay, you could never hurt us. Want to know why?" Jason nodded tearfully. "We are super heroes. And the heroes never hurt each other."

Jason sniffled again, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "Really?"

"Really really. Now come here and let's bake those cookies."

"But Timmy-"

"Forget what Timmy said, father isn't here. Besides, I bet I can make the best chocolate chip cookies, better than you."

Jason giggled, taking Damian's hand and walking to the kitchen. "Nuh-uh. Mine will be better."

As the two youngest made their way to the kitchen, Tim and Dick exchanged a look with each other and Superman, unsure of what to do about Jason's increasing anxiety over what he did to them.

As they were making their way towards the kitchen, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Dick trotted off to go answer the door. When he got there, he opened it and was surprised to see Doctor Fate standing there with Klarion the Witch Boy, his arms restrained and his mouth covered.

"I heard you have a problem we could fix."


	15. Chapter 14

Dick stared at the two magic users, unsure of how to respond. So he went with the ever eloquent. "Uh...come in?" Doctor Fate dragged Klarion inside, Dick closing the door behind them with a gulp. He pulled his phone out, unsure of whether he should bother Bruce with this seeing as he was on a mission right now.

Deciding it was too important, he sent his father a quick text letting him know what was going on.

Doctor Fate looked at Dick through his helmet. "Where is the afflicted child?"

"Um, right this way." Dick squeaked, his stomach churning. He led the duo towards the kitchen, knocking on the door despite it being his house.

The door flung open to reveal Jason standing there with flour all over his face and in his hair. His eyes widened when he saw Fate and Klarion. Instantly he scaled Dick and settled in his arms, clinging to his brother. "Dickie, who are they? Why does he have that on his head? Why is his mouth taped?"

Dick swallowed thickly. "Um..." He looked desperately at Tim and Damian, both of whom just stared back in a panic. "They are here to play with you, Jason."

Behind them, Klarion snorted and Fate elbowed him.

Jason visibly relaxed. "Oh okay. They can bake cookies with us! Superman isn't very good at baking, he is much better at hide and seek. What are their names?"

"My name is Doctor Fate and this is Klarion."

Jason nodded, slipping out of Dick's arms and running back to the mixing bowl. "Come on, we still have so many cookies to make before daddy gets home."

"Batman is not here?" Fate looked at the three older brothers with a blank expression, one the brothers secretly hoped means he won't proceed. They shook their heads in the negative. "When will he get back?"

"He is trying to capture the Joker, so who knows." Tim shrugged.

"Very well, we will have to proceed without him." Fate nodded curtly, destroying the brothers' hope. Fate muttered a quick spell, putting Klarion under his influence for the time being. He undid his restraints and took of the tape from his mouth, turning back to the three brothers. "Where would you like us to perform the ritual?"

"Ritual? I read about a ritual once." Jason piped up from where he was mixing the cookie dough. "It was in the library book that Dickie was reading awhile ago. It mentioned something about aging someone up, I think. Whatever that means." He giggled, sticking his finger in the dough and taking a taste. "Mmm, yummy. Taste it, Superman!"

Damian felt his heart break as he released he was going to lose this Jason forever. He knew Superman and Wonder Woman were right, that it wasn't fair to Jason to keep him like this any longer than they had to. So he walked up to Jason and scooped him up in his arms, squeezing him tight to his chest and kissing his hair repeatedly. "I love you, Jay."

Jason smiled, snuggling close to Damian. "I love you too, Dami." Tim and Dick each took turns hugging and kissing Jason, telling him they loved him. Jason began to get a bit uneasy. "What's going on? Are you guys leaving me?"

"No, never. I hope you remember that." Dick wiped his tearing eyes. "We won't ever leave you, Jay."

Tim gave the OK to Fate and Klarion, who summoned up their magical energy, honing it towards Jason. The brothers took a few steps away from Jason as he went back to the cookies, humming a little tune, completely oblivious to the spell directed his way until the first bolt of magic hit him.

He let out a cry as he fell to the ground, more bursts of magic hitting him in repetition. He looked up at his brothers with tears streaming down his face. "Dickie, Timmy, Dami...it hurts! Help me!" The brothers bit back their own tears as they avoided Jason's eyes, trying to block out his cries of pain as he spasmed on the floor. "Ouch! Owie! Help me, Dami! Please!"

Damian was about to go to his brother when Tim and Dick held him back. "Please, he's hurting."

"We know, Damian, but its for his own good."

"We promised we wouldn't let anyone hurt him and now we are the ones hurting him." Damian hissed at Dick. "What kind of brothers are we? He's five!"

"He won't be for much longer." Tim mumbled, earning a glare from Damian.

"Please, let me hold him."

"No, Damian. We don't know what the magic would do to you."

"Please, Dick, he's my brother."

"He's our brother too."

"Then act like it and let me help him." Damian cried out helplessly, thrashing against Dick and Tim. He watched as the glow around Jason got brighter and brighter, so bright that they couldn't see him anymore. "Jason? Jay! Are you okay?"

All they got was a low groan in return as the glow slowly resided. As their vision returned to them, their eyes widened when they saw a properly aged Jason laying unconscious on the kitchen floor. Damian turned to Fate and Klarion with fury in his eyes when Jason didn't respond to him, about to threaten their lives when Fate held up a hand, silencing him. "He will need rest, plenty of it. The spell takes its toll and he may not remember much of his time as a child. I shall see myself out and take care of Klarion."

With that, Fate left with Klarion, leaving the three brothers and Superman to attend to Jason. Superman picked him up, bringing him upstairs to his room. He laid him down in his bed, tucking him in. He looked over at the brothers. "I should go too. I'll clean up the mess in the kitchen first."

Tim shook his head. "Don't worry about that, we've got it." Superman nodded, flying out the window.

Dick stared down at Jason, his age restored, with an unreadable expression on his face. He leaned down and kissed his brother's hair. "Sleep well, Jason. I love you." He ushered Tim and Damian out of the room, closing the door behind him. He turned to glare at his brothers. "What I said before still stands. We protect and love big Jason just like we protected and loved little Jason, got it?"

Damian snorted. "Was there any ever question about that?"


	16. Chapter 15

When Bruce got the text he felt his heart stop. He was torn between his hunt for the Joker and his need to see Jason one last time before he returned to his proper age. As he was mentally debating it, he got the follow up text from Dick stating that Jason was returned to his normal age and resting in is room.

That made up Bruce's mind as he swung from the roof top down into the streets of Gotham on his hunt for the Joker, resolved to see Jason once the Joker was behind bars once more.

Back at the manor, Damian, Dick, and Tim were sitting in the library each with a cup of tea, staring at the spot little Jason would love to sit and read in. They had heartbroken expressions plastered on their faces, unsure of what was to come now.

"What if he doesn't remember?" Damian asked in a low voice, turning to look at his older brothers.

"What if he does?" Tim countered. Damian furrowed his brow. Tim sighed. "Think about it. He confessed things about his childhood we had no idea about until now, he cuddled with us, he was...loving. Jason doesn't like to be anything other than his hard exterior. This could be detrimental to our relationships with him if he does remember."

Damian and Dick winced at that. They hadn't thought about it like that but when Tim put it that way, it made a lot of sense. Dick sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "We should probably clean the kitchen before Alfred gets to it. Come on."

The trio made their way to the kitchen, going about cleaning it in a tense silence. When they were finished, Damian brought up a good point. "Are we going to tell the League and the team? What about Jason's friends?"

"I'll tell the League and the team, you two can tell Kori and Roy." Tim pulled out his phone and sent out a group text. "I hope Kori and Roy know not to mention this to Jason, at least for a little while."

Dick nodded silently as he pulled out his own cellphone, dialing Kori. He let her know that Jason was back to his proper age before ending the conversation. Damian did the same with Roy.

"I wonder how B is going to react."

"I already let him know. He should be back soon. I mean, if he caught the Joker." Dick shrugged. "Come on, let's go watch a movie."

The movie was about halfway over when Bruce came up from the Batcave, nodding in acknowledgment at his three sons before making his way upstairs. The boys watched him go, debating following him but decided he needed privacy.

Bruce made his way into Jason's room, surprised when he saw Jason sitting up in bed with his back to the door. Bruce was hesitant to say anything but Jason beat him to it. "How long?"

"Excuse me?"

"How long was I a child?" Jason spat the word out like it burned his mouth, not turning around to face Bruce.

"One month, three weeks, and two days." Bruce answered.

"Almost two months." Jason chuckled lowly. "I have a lot of work to catch up on."

"Jay-"

"No!" Jason hissed, finally turning around to face Bruce. He saw the tears on Jason's face, his red rimmed eyes and messy hair from constant tugging. "I just want things to go back to normal. I want to forget any of this ever happened. I don't want to think about this ever again, got it?"

"But Jason, it did happen." Bruce said gently, taking a step towards Jason.

"Not in my books." Jason snapped, grabbing the jacket that has been hanging on his desk chair the entire time. He brushed past Bruce, slamming the door shut on his way out and leaving Bruce in the dark room.

Jason stormed down the stairs and past his brothers, not saying a word to them as they eyed him cautiously. He shut the front door so hard the boys felt the house shake. They gulped, exchanging a look amongst themselves.

They got off the couch and made their way upstairs, finding Bruce still standing in Jason's room with a blank expression. Damian was the one to break the minute long silence. "Father? Are you...okay?"

Bruce cleared his throat, fixing his expression into a stern frown. "He remembers. And he wants to pretend like nothing happened, so be it. Nothing happened."

"But-"

"Nothing. Happened." Bruce grit out, brushing past his sons much like Jason did to him.

Tim glanced over at Dick and Damian. "What do we do? Their relationship seems to be worse off than before he aged down."

Damian shrugged helplessly while Dick got a thoughtful look on his face. He snapped his fingers when he hatched a plan. "We find Jason and talk to him."

"Do you really think that is such a good idea? You saw the look on his face when he left. He looked ready to kill, and with Jason that is a very strong possibility."

"Please, he is our brother. Some of his loving feelings from when he was younger must still be in there. We just have to unbury them." Dick led the charge down the stairs and towards the grandfather clock. "So, we find him and get him to see it really isn't as big of a deal as he is making it out to be."

"Dick, I love you, but that is-"

"A great idea." Damian cut Tim off. Tim looked at him incredulously. "We have to at least try. We promised that we would love and protect Jason no matter what, Tim. This is the no matter what part."

Tim sighed, agreeing nonetheless. The trio of brothers made their way down stairs to the Batcave, getting dressed into their alter egos before taking off into the night in search of Jason.

How hard could it be to find one ticked off brother who doesn't want to be found?


	17. Chapter 16

Jason was sitting on the edge of one of Gotham's skyscrapers, his feet dangling over the edge when his brothers found him. He viciously wiped his eyes when they walked up to him, sitting down next to him.

"Hey J-"

"What do you want?" He growled.

"We just wanted to talk to you about what happened." Dick spoke calmly, looking over the skyline of the city.

"Well, I don't, so if you don't mind-"

"Jason." Damian whispered his name and Jason couldn't help it, he broke down in sobs.

"What do you want me to say, huh? You know my deepest, darkest secrets thanks to my big ass five year old mouth. You've seen me have night terrors. I still try to kill you, even as a child." Jason chuckled through the tears. "Good to know I can still hold my own as a kid though."

Damian smiled warmly at Jason, reaching over to pull him into a hug. Jason resisted at first but eventually melted into the embrace. He cried into Damian's small shoulder as Damian pulled him away from the ledge and more solidly onto the roof. Once they were securely on the roof, Dick and Tim joined in on the hug, enveloping Jason completely.

Jason sniffled, wiping his eyes. "I can't pull the tough guy act anymore now, huh?"

"Jason, with all you've been through, you're the toughest out of all of us." Tim reassured, pulling out of the embrace. "Come on, let's get you home."

Jason paled, looking at his brothers. "I, uh, kind of told Bruce to go eff himself. Not literally, but you know, sub textually."

Dick chuckled. "He'll understand, trust me. All you have to do is call him dad."

Jason groaned. "Come on, I'm not five anymore." He smirked. "Now I can say that and mean it literally."

"You could always say that and mean it literally. You have been five before." Tim pointed out helpfully. Jason just stuck his tongue out. Tim scrunched up his nose. "You're not as cute when you do that now."

"Shut the eff up, I'm adorable all the time." The brothers laughed as they made their way towards the manor, bantering the whole way.

Once they got to the door, Jason froze. Damian noticed this and slipped his hand into Jason's, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "Hey, everything will be okay." Jason nodded shakily, pushing the door open.

The brothers found Bruce sitting in the library with a drink in his hand, untouched. He looked up, doing a double take when he noticed Jason with the group. Jason waved awkwardly. "Hi."

"Hi, Jason." Bruce drank his whole drink in one go, placing it down on the table in front of him.

Damian nudged Jason and Jason gave a little whine, stepping further into the room. "I, uh, I wanted to apologize to you for my behavior earlier. I didn't mean to sound like a total asshole."

Bruce chuckled. "Its good to have you back Jason."

Jason gave a small half smile. "Its good to be back, dad." Bruce pulled Jason in for a long over due hug, not commenting on the wet spot he now felt on his shoulder. The two of them stayed in the embrace for awhile, until Jason composed himself, stepping back with a smirk. "While it is nice to be back to my proper age, I will miss being able to pull people's hair whenever I want to."

Tim snickered. "I thought you were styling their hair?"

Jason's smirk grew. "Nah, that was my cover. I just wanted to be a little shit without being caught. I mean, it would've ruined my angelic reputation."

"You're such an ass."

"I try."

The family decided to have a night in to celebrate Jason's return, gathering in the living room and popping in a B-list horror movie. Nobody commented on Damian snuggling up to Jason, Jason just wrapping his arm around his little brother.

Jason chuckled halfway through the movie when he heard snores coming from Damian. "The roles have reversed." He yawned, feeling his eyes getting heavy.

Before the end of the movie, he was fast asleep, curled protectively around Damian.

Tim and Dick cooed, snapping pictures. When Bruce gave them a look, Dick just shrugged.

"Black mail purposes."

 _fin._


End file.
